Loving God, we praise you for this beautiful day. We praise you for the shining sun, for the plants in full bloom, for the light that has broken through the darkness of raincloud and storm. It is in these blessings that we ground ourselves, and are reminded of your presence with us, reminded of the many ways in which you care for us.

We pray for this world, which you have named us as co-caretakers, just as you named Adam and Eve in the garden. O Lord, forgive us for the ways in which we have not cared for your beloved Earth, for the ways in which we already see how our desire for power and resources continues to chip away at the Earth, from air pollution in Nepal, to coal mine explosions in Iran. We pray for the ways in which the power hungry take advantage of others, no matter what the cost. We pray boldly for conviction in their hearts, to see the destruction that happens and to be moved with compassion, that you would turn their swords into plowshares. We pray for all those who continue to live in unsafe places, for the many refugees around the world, and pray for our family who we support as they move into their new home and continue their journey of transition. O Lord, we understand transition, but we take for granted the safety we have living in this nation. Make our hearts more willing to learn from others who are different from us, to listen to the stories of others, and to be guided in word and deed in actions of kindness, grace, and love.

Beloved God, we are grateful for Mothers today. We are grateful for birth mothers, for adoptive mothers, for surrogate mothers, for step-mothers, for church mothers and second family mothers, for mothers who stay at home and mothers who work, for mothers of this earth, who garden and tend to it, and mothers of animals who give creatures a home. We pray for all those who are experiencing this Mother’s Day for the first time without their mother, and God, we especially remember those on this day who feel the pains of motherhood. For who did not get to hold a beloved child in their arms for an array of reasons, be it unable to conceive or miscarriages that leave groans too deep for words, or had children who passed too young. We acknowledge their pain, and we weep with them, and pray that you would be especially near to them on this day in which the grief is especially acute.

God, you are our beloved Mother, for you nursed and held Israel to your breast throughout the ages, you hold us near to you now. We are grateful this day for Mothers because you are Mother, who tends to us, who wraps loving arms around us when we grieve and mourn, who listens patiently to us when we are angry with you, who gives us gracious and loving words to speak, who has taught us what it means to be a jealous God who will do anything to protect her children.

It is as your faithful children, we lean against you, our beloved parent, Father and Mother, and entrust everything into your loving hands.